Sunday, December 30, 2012

Last day of 2012 today, and the Red Cardinal takes a pause to reflect.

I am so grateful to be here to celebrate the New Year,

grateful for the love and support of family, friends, relatives, and the old and new friends found in the World of Blogging!

2012 started with a big shock for me, on 2nd January, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, while still in recovery from a serious motor vehicle accident. I was in complete denial for some time, but eventually reality hit home in quite a big way.

So much has happened since then, and I am amazed to think that a whole year has passed. I continue to work hard on healing, on living well, on improving my fitness and eating healthily.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Despite torrential rain, weeks of 100 deg. heat, and the occasional high wind and visits from possums, these little temperate zone blooms have dedicated themselves to my annual Garden Goal.

Which is: To Keep the Pansies Going until Christmas.

I Win!!

We started the day with a delightful Skype visit to Canada, to watch the Petit Garcon open the enormous box of gifts we had sent to our Darling Daughter and her family. The Hungry Hippos game went down a treat ..

This is the view of their garden this week.

Look closely and you can spot our cute grandson being a snow bunny.

I wore red linen for the day's festivities.

My take on Valentino red, sewn for the Valentino Exhibition at QAG in 2010.

Accessorised with a little ebay purchase, a red bird necklace:

Mr Cardinal gave me this sweet dish, with a whole bunch of other goodies ..

and my friend L sent this painted tin birdie - cute as!

The family spoilt me - here are a few more lovely gifts ..

But enough about me, look at Little Aussie our local grandson,

with his Pirate Telescope:

Ahoy!

The upside down coffee table behind him has been doing double duty as Santa's Sleigh the past few days. He puts on a Santa hat, gets in the sleigh, and sings Jingle Bells really fast (which makes it fly through the sky, don't you know ..)

I made him a pair of pirate shorts, Butterick 3475, and found a piratey T-shirt.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Warmest wishes from the Red Cardinal blog to all my readers and fellow bloggers for a wonderful, happy, and peaceful Christmas and New Year.

It has been a joy to meet and communicate with you throughout what has been an eventful year for me. Thank you all for your lovely, kind, insightful, caring, and often clever and funny comments.

I appreciate and value every one of them.

For me, the greatest fun is in exchanging ideas, and learning about so many different countries and customs, meeting your families, pets, and seeing your local areas. I love reading your blogs, and continue to find new blogs of interest written by clever and talented women. It has become a new hobby for this old bird who loves a fresh challenge and meeting new friends.

To the silent readers (and my stats show me there are a large number of you out there), thank you for continuing to drop in.

passed down from Mr Cardinal's grandmother, and as recorded by our dear daughter who interviewed her Grandma:

Ingredients:

375g mixed dried fruit

2 tablespoons Bundaberg Rum (a Qld. specialty)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

3 eggs

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1 cup self-raising flour

1 teaspoon bi-carbonate soda

1 green cooking apple, peeled, cored and grated

1 teaspoon lemon essence

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

plain flour for flouring the cloth.

Equipment:

60cm square of unbleached calico

Large cooking pot with handles on either side

Stand to place inside the pot, eg wire cake rack

String

Rubber gloves

Put the mixed dried fruit in a bowl and pour the rum over it. Soak overnight.

Boil water in cooking pot, then boil the cloth in the pot for an hour. Put on rubber gloves, remove the cloth and wring out excess water. Set the wet cloth aside while making pudding, but don't let it dry out. Retain water in pot.

In medium saucepan, combine soaked dried fruit, brown sugar and butter. Stir over medium heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves and it begins to boil. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, cool to room temperature.

Top up water in pot, and bring to the boil. Meanwhile, spread the pudding cloth on the bench, sprinkle enough plain flour on the cloth to cover an area 40cm in diameter, leaving flour a little thicker in the centre. The flour will form the skin on the pudding.

Place pudding mixture in centre of cloth. Gather cloth evenly around the mixture, avoiding any deep pleats, then pat into a round shape. Tie cloth tightly with string, as close to mixture as possible. Pull ends of cloth tightly to ensure pudding is as round and firm as possible. Do not despair if pudding looks a little small, as it will get bigger. Knot two pairs of corners together to make the pudding easier to remove.

Place the stand on bottom of pot so pudding does not stick and burn. Lower pudding into boiling water, typing the free ends of the string to the pot handles to suspend the pudding. Cover the boiler with a lid a boil for 3 hours, replenishing water as necessary to maintain water level.

To remove, untie pudding from the handles, and place a wooden spoon through the knotted calico loops to lift pudding from water. Place pudding in a large colander, cut the string and carefully peel back the cloth. Turn pudding onto a plate and carefully peel cloth completely. Allow to cool. It is important to remove the cloth while hot, to prevent the skin sticking to the cloth. It should also be removed before storage, as mould can form.

When cool, wrap in plastic wrap and store in fridge.

On Christmas day, boil the calico cloth again, tie the pudding in as before and boil for 1 hour.

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About Me

This blog is a celebration of all things which bring me fun and joy. I am a retired mother and grandmother living in a leafy suburb of Brisbane, Australia, surrounded by abundant birdlife. I love art and art history, architecture, antiques and design, and am a volunteer gallery guide. Other interests include choral singing, sewing, fashion, gardening, and travel. And I absolutely love Christmas.
Email me at trishkellar@reinforcements.com.au